Recent studies in Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park demonstrate that there is significant variability in dieback impact between species, within species, between habitats, within habitats, across the landscape, as well as interactions between these components. Furthermore, the influence of complex interactions between spatial and temporal components of resource availability and disturbance are unknown. From this research, some critical knowledge gaps remain in order to understand the spatial and temporal variability in physiological responses to drought and heatwave events in UKTNP. This collaborative project is conducted in partnership with colleagues in Parks Australia and at Uluru.

This project aims to:

1. Investigate the spatial and temporal variability in the traits and ecophysiological mechanisms that may underpin the variation in responses to dieback in the flora within UKTNP.
2. Quantify physiological tolerance thresholds in culturally important species by conducting heatwave and drought experiments on seedlings under controlled conditions.
3. Using a culturally and ecologically important keystone tree species in UKTNP as a case study, determine the variability in ecophysiological strategy, and therefore the vulnerability, of different life stages to increased heatwaves and drought events and how that vulnerability may also differ spatially and seasonally.
4. Understand the temporal variation in resources in UKTNP as a function of habitat type and landscape position in order to further understand spatial patterning of dieback.

Potential honours projects in this area would focus on seed and seedling biology of desert plants using glasshouse experiments and work at the Australian National Botanic Gardens.